North East Valley Normal School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within twelve months of the Education Review Office and North East Valley Normal School working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

Context

North East Valley Normal School offers learning for children from Years 1 to 6 and has served its diverse community since 1851. It has a strong foundation of being culturally responsive and provides a bilingual pathway with Te Rōpu Manaaki. The school embodies whakawhanaungatanga through its relationships with whānau, learners and community. It has links with the University of Otago Dunedin College of Education developing teaching practice for pre-service teachers. The school has recently appointed a new principal.

North East Valley Normal School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

• continue to provide rich teaching and learning programmes which ensure success for all children especially in literacy and numeracy
• foster understanding of the bicultural foundations of New Zealand | Aotearoa 
• involve parents/caregivers in their children's learning.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on North East Valley Normal School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact of school-wide approaches to teaching, learning and assessment in mathematics on the progress and achievement of all learners.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that:

• analysis of achievement information in foundational curriculum areas, and particularly in mathematics, has informed the need for a focus on consistent pedagogical approaches and expectations for learners.

The school expects to see:

• the development of cohesive-school wide approaches reflected in a delivery plan showing clear progressions in mathematics as learners move through the school
• the growth of assessment for learning practices across the school
• increasing progress and achievement in mathematics.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the impact of school-wide approaches in teaching, learning and assessment in mathematics on the progress and achievement of all learners:

• strong teaching practice and capability across the staff
• a vibrant sense of community spirit and local identity, with the community taking an active interest in the school
• inclusive and positive staff who are open to change and new learning.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• continuing staff professional learning to support the development and evaluation of shared and consistent assessment practices in mathematics across the school, leading to increasing progress and achievement
• sharing achievement information with parents and caregivers to help inform their roles in enhancing their child’s learning
• the development of culturally responsive approaches to assessing children’s learning in multilingual settings
• the development of assessment and learning approaches for neurodiverse children.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years. 

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

28 March 2024 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home